MOSCOW, August 30. /TASS/. The creation of quasi-state local government bodies in eastern Syria by the Americans can result in attempts to split the country and contravenes the UN Security Council’s decisions, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters at a news conference on Thursday following meeting with his Syrian counterpart Walid Muallem.
"While being strongly opposed to the global community’s involvement in efforts to create conditions for refugees’ return to Syria’s territory controlled by the government, our American counterparts, at the same time, are actively restoring infrastructure on the eastern bank of the Euphrates river and even create quasi-state local government bodies there," he said. "This gives rise to concern, this is fraught with attempts to split Syria, which is totally unacceptable and is a blatant violation of Security Council decisions, which has repeatedly demanded respect for Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity."
The US has retained its military presence in southeastern Syria establishing a military base near the inhabited community of al-Tanf. Russia’s Foreign and Defense Ministries earlier asked questions about what was happening at this military base pointing to the movement of terror groups' members through that region. The US also controls part of the territory in Syria’s north, on the eastern bank of the Euphrates river where it supports the Syrian Democratic Forces consisting mainly of Kurds.